NetherRealm Studios has offered a wide variety of DLC for Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice: Gods Among Us, so it was no surprise when the second Kombat Pack was announced for Mortal Kombat X late last year. Now NetherRealm has followed MK9 and Injustice again by announcing a Game of the Year edition for Mortal Kombat X known as MKXL. This new release arriving on March 1, 2016 will include all DLC released for Mortal Kombat X.
While many people have been waiting for a Game of the Year edition of MKX, when the second Kombat Pack was revealed to include Triborg, Bo’ Rai Cho, Leatherface and a Xenomorph from the Alien series, many fans were hopeful we’d see a third Kombat Pack with highly requested characters such as Human Smoke, Fujin, Kabal and more. With MKXL releasing so soon, fans have been asking if this means the second Kombat Pack is the last batch of DLC we’ll see for Mortal Kombat X. Let’s see if we can shed some light on the situation and answer that question.
The short answer is that there won’t be any more characters coming to Mortal Kombat X after the second Kombat Pack releases in full. NetherRealm and Warner Bros. would not announce MKXL if there was a third Kombat Pack coming down the line. You can purchase MKXL in a variety of ways, including an MKXL DLC bundle that features both Kombat Packs, Kombat Pack 2 by itself if you already own MKX and the first Kombat Pack, or the full Mortal Kombat XL retail release for fans who have yet to purchase anything in regards to MKX.
All of the different ways you can pick up MKXL means this is it for Mortal Kombat X. The XL bundles release almost a full year after the original title hit store shelves and with E3 2016 right around the corner, don’t be surprised to see NetherRealm announce a sequel to Injustice: Gods Among Us. It’s no secret that Warner Bros. is pushing DC superhero (and super villain) movies over the next few years, starting with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice this March, and Suicide Squad in August. With more DC Comics movies coming next year it would be the perfect fit to see an Injustice sequel announced at E3 2016 and released in early 2017.
In addition to the release of Mortal Kombat XL, NetherRealm is beta testing new online netcode for MKX that offers features similar to the popular GGPO netcode. This should make the online functionality of Mortal Kombat X much more fluid than it currently is. This was a big surprise to fans in part because the netcode in Mortal Kombat X is already considerably better than any previous NetherRealm Studios fighting game. However, with the netcode upgrade coming a year after the initial release of the title, it seems as though this could be more of a beta test for an Injustice sequel rather than simply a thoughtful upgrade to Mortal Kombat X.
At the very least, Mortal Kombat fans still have Triborg, Bo’ Rai Cho, Leatherface and the Xenomorph to look forward to in the coming months. One of the characters (presumably Triborg) will be showcases at the ESL finals next week, so expect more information to coming following that broadcast. In the meantime, be sure to check out our initial look at the Kombat Pack 2 characters to find out what you can expect when they arrive over the next few months!
